Lunchtime read: tough, tough toys for tough, tough boys

Most of the literature you will read is written with an eye on being as realistic as possible. Authors no doubt view the exercise of travelling into a character’s mind as innovative enough. But then there are writers like Self who produce stuff that borders on the fantasy because it seems to have little relation to real life.

The result is that you can be disturbed as logic is warped and the laws of physics bent out of all order but it is a different type of writing and worth reading – although I’m not sure I would opt for this style on a regular basis.

Caring, SharingHuman beings seem to grow up in farms together and then leave to join the world accompanied by a 14 foot emotos that have a non sexual relationship with them by mother them through life. Frightened of sexual contact, commitment and almost any conversation the humans wander round only managing to sleep on a cocktail of nerve numbing drugs.

The irony is of course that the emoto’s, who are portrayed as non-smoking, non-drinking and non-sexual teddy bear type creatures, have a secret life. They have a level of innocent cynicism (if such a thing can exist) about their owners and look on them with pity.